Wednesday, 15 January 2014

Behind the Scenes at a Publishing House – Journey's End

We started our behind the scenes journey with debut author Sophia Tobin and her editor, Clare Hey at Simon & Schuster, in April. Back then, The Silversmith's Wife was an agent pitched manuscript with an intriguing title. Today, that manuscript has been bought, edited, proofread and beautifully bound with a stunning cover. Tomorrow, it’s released into the world, but not before this final installment of Behind the Scenes at a Publishing House.

Sophia: The Silversmith’s Wife is published on 16th January. At last my fledgling is being pushed out of its nest. Several people have asked me how I will feel to see it for sale in a bookshop for the first time. The answer is, I’m not sure, but as long as I don’t start bawling in public, I’ll consider it a success. I have, at least, been prepared by seeing the book, and holding it in my hands. I’m sure deep breathing will see me through the launch day.

In the weeks leading up to publication day I’ve been kept mercifully busy writing blogs, building my website and answering queries. I’m grateful to all of the people who have nurtured the book on its journey. And if you’re one of the lovely souls who have pre-ordered The Silversmith’s Wife – I really hope you like it.

Meanwhile, I’ll be working on my second book, another murder mystery with a large helping of love and intrigue on the side. I’ll be coming home from work every night, having a cup of tea, and revising my first draft as the rain lashes the windowpane. If you’re doing the same with your work in progress – good luck!

So, there’s not much else to say, other than: I’ve felt incredibly lucky to explore my experiences of getting published on Novelicious. Thank you for joining me on the journey.

Clare: While this is the end of the journey to publication for The Silversmith’s Wife, it is actually the beginning of its ‘real’ life. The hard work behind the scenes has been mostly done – the book is printed and looks stunning, the orders are in from the retailers, the copies have gone out for review – and all that is left now is for readers to find it, and hopefully enjoy it. As an editor this is always the most exciting part of the journey – seeing the book in a bookshop and – the holy grail – in a reader’s hands, and hearing what readers think of it is what it’s all about.

But while this is the start of published life for The Silversmith’s Wife, as Sophia says, it is also the moment the author and editor start all over again - there is a second novel to write and edit, to design a cover for, and to get ready for publication. But before all that starts, we will take a moment to sit back and admire what we have achieved over the past year, to celebrate the birth of a novel, and to wish it well on its journey. We hope some of you will read it and if you do that you will enjoy it. Thanks for being part of its journey.

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Behind the Scenes at a Publishing House – Journey's End

We started our behind the scenes journey with debut author Sophia Tobin and her editor, Clare Hey at Simon & Schuster, in April. Back then, The Silversmith's Wife was an agent pitched manuscript with an intriguing title. Today, that manuscript has been bought, edited, proofread and beautifully bound with a stunning cover. Tomorrow, it’s released into the world, but not before this final installment of Behind the Scenes at a Publishing House.

Sophia: The Silversmith’s Wife is published on 16th January. At last my fledgling is being pushed out of its nest. Several people have asked me how I will feel to see it for sale in a bookshop for the first time. The answer is, I’m not sure, but as long as I don’t start bawling in public, I’ll consider it a success. I have, at least, been prepared by seeing the book, and holding it in my hands. I’m sure deep breathing will see me through the launch day.